Massage therapy is designed to improve the body by relaxing the muscle tissues and improving range of motion. Health and Wellness Clinic in Layton is focused on providing effective massage therapy treatments that go beyond relaxation. Our trained massage therapists can focus on common ailments that specifically target additional issues such as:

• Carpal tunnel 
• Sciatic
• Whiplash
• Tension headaches 
• Varicose veins
• Muscle injury
• Tendon tears

Massage is beneficial for several health issues, and patients almost always walk away feeling additional emotional, physical, and psychological benefits. Improved mood, effective anxiety management, reduced stress, and improved energy levels are some of the common benefits we see from proper massage therapy treatment. Our hands-on treatments are designed to reduce stress, relieve tension, improve circulation, reduce anxiety, and improve sleep. Here are some of the benefits we have seen our patients experience with massage therapy, and why you need to consider adding massage into part of your health and wellness fitness routine. 

Relaxation at its Finest

One of the greatest benefits to massage therapy is how it focused on relaxing your body. When the body is under stress, it will start to produce cortisol, the stress hormone. Too much cortisol leads to several problems including weight gain, insomnia, headaches, digestive issues, and more. Massage therapy has been found to help reduce cortisol levels in the body, helping the body relax.

Effective Stress Management

When you focus on finding ways to reduce stress, it has been proven that massage therapy can help with stress. Regular massage therapy has been able to help patients with increased energy levels, pain reduction, and improved mood. 

Reduce Blood Pressure Levels 

Too much stress causes havoc to the body. Massage therapy not only targets stress in the muscles, it helps to reduce blood pressure levels related to stress. Regular massage can assist in reducing the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and cortisol levels in the body. A reduction in blood pressure can help to decrease the risk of health issues like kidney failure, heart attacks, and strokes.

Improved Circulation

Massage therapy has multiple benefits including improved circulation. Improved circulation will allow the body to have access to the nutrients it needs to maintain proper health. Nutrients delivered to the muscles help them to grow stronger and start repairing any damaged tissue. During a massage, a patient will feel hands-on pressure, which helps to move the blood around and pushed it through the damaged and congested areas of the body. New blood can flow into those muscles, delivering fresh nutrients to aid in healing the area. When the muscles are being pressed and manipulated, it helps to remove lactic acid from the muscles, helping to improve overall body function. 

Proper Posture

Office ergonomics are often talked about, with companies spending thousands of dollars in lost productivity due to employees missing work with chronic pain. Posture is almost always one of the underlying issues causing people to have pain, stiffness, and spasms in the muscles. Massage therapy will focus on helping the body to come back to its proper alignment form. When the muscles are loosened and relaxed, it makes it easier for the joints to have proper range of motion and flexibility. Massage therapy will help to give the body back the proper posture it needs to function in the correct manner. 

Improved Immune System

Regular massage therapy is not only designed to help you relax; it also helps to improve the immune system. Stress and cortisol go together, and they not only cause pain, they can make you vulnerable to illnesses. Regular massage therapy will help to enhance the body’s ability to deliver nutrients to the cells, keeping them stronger and healthier to take on immune system attacks.

If you are ready to get started with your new massage therapy treatment, call Health and Wellness Clinic in Layton. We are committed to providing our patients with the latest and greatest treatments in massage therapy. Schedule your consultation online or give us a call today!

Snow, while beautiful can be a pain to move off the driveway? One “average” snow shovel weighs in at about 5.7 pounds. Of course, the weight depends on the type of snow, but in Utah, we know our snow is usually pretend dense so it’s normally on the heavier side. Snow and Utah has always been normal, but unfortunately many Utahans can experience long-term muscle strain and pain due to snow shoveling. If you have dealt with several days of snow shoveling, you’re likely experiencing some pretty sore muscles. Let our experts at Health and Wellness Clinic in Layton help you find relief from muscle strain and pain related to snow shoveling. 

Common Injuries from Snow Shoveling 

What types of injuries do we see from snow? Typically, people dealing with snow shoveling injuries have muscles that have been forced to contract past their stretching point. Overusing the muscle in a repeated manner can cause muscle fibers to tear. Muscle strain is the most common ailment we treat from snow shoveling. Slips and falls commonly happen when dealing with snow. Slips and falls almost always lead to some type of muscle strain and other injury. Back pain is quite common with snow shoveling due to overexertion. Here are some of the most common symptoms that you have muscle strain:

• Swelling
• Bruising
• Limited range of motion
• Soreness 
• Sudden, sharp onset of pain
• Muscle spasms
• Stiffness 

Self-Care for Treating Muscle Strains

How can you treat muscle strains? Muscles require rest when they have been injured. The best way to start treating your pain is to follow the R.I.C.E. method. RICE is short for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Following this method, you can give your muscle time to naturally heal itself. Begin this method by resting, so hopefully you can find a friend or neighbor to assist with your snow shoveling needs for a few days as you are healing. The resting phase needs to focus on ceasing strenuous activity, so the body doesn’t continue injuring itself more. Ice packs can be applied to the area with a gentle massage. Elevating the area is beneficial if you do have swelling that is occurring with the injury. 

Professional Muscle Strain Treatment

Chiropractic treatment focuses on helping the body heal naturally. Schedule a consultation for our providers to evaluate the severity of your muscle strain and design a personalized patient treatment program. We will look at the strained muscle, along with the overall alignment of the body as it can lead to additional pain and inflammation in the body. Misalignment does lead to several issues and can make a simple muscle strain worse due to overcompensation in another area. Manual manipulation treatments are used to help soothe the inflamed muscle and calm the nerves. 

How to Prevent Muscle Strain

Salt Lake City averages about 54 inches of snow yearly. We know the snow isn’t going anywhere, so that means its time to take a few moments to prepare the body and have it ready for the next big snowstorm that occurs in Utah. At Health and Wellness Clinic in Layton, we are committed to our patient’s health. We want to prevent some of these serious injuries we have seen occur over the years due to snow shoveling. Use these tips to stay safe and reduce the risk of muscle strain:

• Wear correct gear, including boots that have adequate grip.
• Do not shovel too much at one time. If your body has a history of getting muscle strains from heavy snow, plan on only shoveling half of your driveway and come back a few hours later to shovel more.
• Drink plenty of water! Muscle strain can happen easily when you are dehydrated. The body needs water to energize your muscles and keep them healthy. 

If you are experiencing pain, contact our Layton chiropractic clinic. Our experts are here to provide you with in-depth treatments for common snow shoveling injuries. Request a consultation or give us a call today at 801-784-4807!

The holiday season is upon us, and that means for some people a whirlwind of parties, gift-giving, and more. In fact, a poll conducted by VeryWellMind.com found that more than 80% of people find the holiday season to be somewhat to very stressful. With everything that comes into play for the holidays, it brings many people to the point of feeling completely overwhelmed and exhausted. What many people do not realize is how dangerous chronic stress is to their health. The entire body can exhibit signs and symptoms of stress including:

• Back pain
• Neck pain 
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Muscle tightness

Stress will lead to a weakened immune system, which increases the risk of illness during the holidays. Stress does make our bodies more vulnerable to diseases, and many people deal with chronic pain that began from too much stress. Chiropractic adjustments are designed to help calm and soothe the nervous system, making it easier for you to cope with holiday stress.

Stress and Your Body

Chiropractic treatments often start with the spinal column as it has been found that the spinal column plays a role in properly transmitting messages from the brain to the rest of the body. When you have too much stress on the nervous system, the spinal column can have excess stress and tension, leading to some of the above symptoms of stress to occur. Chronic stress will cause the muscles to contract and tense often, which can place the muscles in uncomfortable and awkward positions. 

Take a moment to notice the way you sit, stand, and work. For example, do you find yourself leaning to one arm when you are sitting and working behind a computer? Years of sitting improperly, and not stretching the area can lead to pain. We often see patients come in with severe neck and shoulder pain that is directly related to the way they position themselves when they type on their computer. 

Repetitive action is one of the issues that many patients cite when they are trying to identify where their pain is coming from. When people deal with chronic stress, they will often overcompensate by unconsciously holding their neck, back, and arms differently. Over time, the weird positioning will lead to unnatural pressure and misalignment of the spine. Unfortunately, patients often move their body the wrong way when they are stressed, making the issue worse.

Dysfunction of the Nerves

When we are dealing with excessive stress, it is common to start seeing new issues arise. Chronic stress can lead to nerve dysfunctional such has having shooting pains or numbness in different areas of the body. Depression and anxiety are other things that often come into play around the holidays. Many patients come in with depression concerns when the weather starts to turn from bright, sunny days to the grey-gloomy sky that sets in with the inversion in Utah. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is common in Utah when the seasons change from fall to winter. If you have noticed this in the past, it is always wise to schedule a visit with your doctor to discuss preventative treatments. Our experts at Health and Wellness Clinic have multiple treatment methods for patients to follow in order to help get through the stress-laden holiday season when you are struggling with SAD. Our chiropractic treatments are safe, and effective ways to target stress and nerve pain in the body. Chiropractic adjustments will help to relax the body and increases the circulation of blood in the body, allowing nutrients to be properly transferred to the muscles, ligaments, and joints. When we do an adjustment to the neck and spine, it will place them back into their natural and proper order. Having proper alignment will improve the muscles and bones by removing the pressure that has been pressing down and leading to nerve pain. 

Chiropractic Treatment for Holiday Stress

Almost every patient the comes in for a chiropractic adjustment leaves feeling improvement. Proper alignment can help to reduce emotional stress, and often helps to reduce tension headaches along with muscles aches. Contact our office to schedule a consultation for your holiday stress and let our experts help you on the way to your best holiday season stress-free! Contact Health and Wellness Clinic in Layton today and bring your body back into its proper balance.